Next time, skip the “weekend warrior” approach and instead get your body in shape to tackle any activity. Not only will you reduce your risk of injury, you will boost your enjoyment of every two-point shot or finish-line win.

IMPROVE YOUR GAME

Sports conditioning isn’t just for elite athletes, said Katherine Zwanziger, PT, DPT, a seasoned physical therapist with The CORE Institute who specializes in treating musculoskeletal injuries. Conditioning can improve anyone’s performance, whether for a specific sport or range of exercise.

Here are Zwanziger’s keys for success:

Find a favorite. Look for an activity that interests you. No matter what your fitness level, often you can vary the intensity, duration or position to allow you to participate in a particular activity.

Start slow. If you’ve been inactive and want to begin walking, for instance, going zero to 60 with a two-hour walk could leave you sore and injured. For any age and any sport, it’s important to ease into the activity. Focus on stretching, proper hydration, and warm up and cool down activities to assist with muscle recovery.

The biggest thing is a slow progression of whatever you’re getting into to help you get the best outcome.

Post-surgical. In sports rehabilitation, most people are starting at square one. When cleared by a physician, start light and controlled — maybe at 25 percent of your previous level.

The people who go back to the level where they left off are the ones who tend to reinjure themselves or strain something else and will not recover the way they want.

Sport specific. If you are focusing on a specific sport, plan on adding conditioning that will boost your endurance in that particular sport — beyond your regular fitness routine of workouts at the gym or daily walking.

Just because you can swim for four hours doesn’t mean you can run a marathon. There’s not always that crossover.

THE BOTTOM LINE?

Start slow and start smart. You’re not starting at a level you left off pre-injury or starting at a level you were 10 years ago in high school.

“You’re starting at the level you are at now and you can build up to what is appropriate.”